October 15, 2015

AP

For the first time in more than 50 years, a musical band based in Cuba is set to perform at the White House.

The Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club is on the lineup for a White House reception Thursday in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks. Cuba's ambassador to the U.S. also has been asked to attend.

The White House said Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club will be the first Cuba-based musical act to perform under its roof in more than five decades. The appearance comes amid warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Cold War foes whose leaders surprised the world nearly a year ago with the announcement that they were restoring diplomatic relations after more than a half-century of animosity...